Thread guide



Sept. 23, 1941. .H. o. NELSON 2,256,568

THREAD GUIDE Original Filed July 25, 1959 Zia/FM Patented Sept. 23, 1941THREAD GUIDE Harmon Nelson, Whitinsville, Mass, assignor to WhitinMachine Works, Whitinsville, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsOriginal application July 25, 1939, Serial No.

286,414. Divided and this application September 20, 1940, Serial No.357,525

2 Claims.

This application is a division of my original application Serial No.286,414, filed July 25, 1939, on a Thread guide and method of making thesame, now Patent No. 2,230,652.

This invention relates to thread guides, and particularly to guides usedin machines for winding or packaging silk, rayon or other fine threads.In such guides as commonly used, the thread is passed through a narrowslot between metal side walls, which walls should present smoothsurfaces to prevent chafing or breaking of the thread, which is drawnthrough the slot at very high speed. In such guides, also, the width ofthe slot with reference to the thread size should be accuratelydetermined and carefully maintained.

It is the general object of my invention to provide an improved threadguide in which accurate slot width and exceptional surface finish areeasily and economically attained.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig.1 is an end elevation of parts of a Winding machine in which my improvedguide may be used;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of my improved thread guide before finishing andbending to shape;

Figs. 4 and 5 are end and side views, looking in the direction of thearrows 4 and 5 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing certain parts in adifferent position;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the finished guide; and

Fig. 8 is a detail view, looking in the direction of the arrow 8 in Fig.7.

My improved thread guide is particularly designed for use in a windingor packaging machine as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, which show a drivenwinding roll it and shaft H, a traverse bar l2, a thread guide G and athread T which is being wound into a cylindrical package P. All of theseparts may be of usual commercial construction, except for the specificstructure of the thread guide G, which will be hereinafter described.

In the manufacture of my improved guide, I first form a steel blank 20as shown in Fig. 3, which blank is slotted at 2| for attachment byscrews 22 to the traverse bar [2. The opposite end of the blank 20 is ofincreased thickness, and is subjected to a sawing or milling operationto provide a narrow slot 25 which may terminate in a round hole 26.

After forming the blank 20 as shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the end portions 21are hardened by any suitable process. One side portion 30 of the blank2c is then bent to the position shown in Fig. 6, while the other sideportion 3| remains in its original position. The sawed or milled innersurfaces of the end portions 21 are then carefully finished by grindingand polishing until a satisfactory and exceptionally smooth surface isattained.

The side portion 3| is then bent downward alongside the portion 36, asindicated in Fig. 7, after which the guide G is secured in a clamp orjig 33, with the two parts 21 held at the desired distance apart by aninserted gauge 35 or in some other convenient manner.

While the parts are thus held and accurately positioned, I secure theportions 30 and 3| firmly together by soldering or brazing as indicatedat 31. I thus attain a thread guide having the guiding faces of theportions 21 highly polished and accurately spaced apart. If these facesbecome Worn or roughened by long continued use, the solder or brass maybe easily melted, the parts returned to the position shown in Fig. 6,the inner faces repolished, and the guide may then be clamped andsoldered or brazed, all as previously described, thus making the wornguide exactly as good as new and capable of further long-continued use.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A thread guide formed of a single piece of metal and having integralthickened thread-engaging end portions provided with highly polishedadjacent faces, said end portions being laterally separated by anelongated slot and being displaceable toward and away from each other tovary the distance apart of said polished faces and the width of thethread-guiding slot, and said end portions being held in fixed spacedrelation to each other by extraneous metal applied thereto.

2. A metal thread guide having an attaching portion, a relatively thinand bendable middle portion, and thickened and hardened thread-engagingend portions provided with highly polished adjacent faces, said threadguide having an elongated continuous slot separating said end portionsand extending substantially into said middle portion, and said endportions being held in fixed spaced relation to each other by solderapplied thereto.

HARMON O. NELSON.

